no sleep in days

my 4 and a half month old barely sleeps anymore. at night hes up every hour to two hours and during the day he barely sleeps at all. hes so cranky all the time 3 days ago he was diagnosed with an ear infection but hes on antibiotics for it. i am so exhausted and hes been this way for 2 weeks now and idk how to help him sleep anymore i have tried everything. anyone have any other tricks to help him sleep. i have been having constant anxiety attacks lately because of not sleeping and his constant crying i really could use some help.

Make sure he has a full tummy when he goes to bed. When he wakes at night don't run to him right away. Wait a minute and see if he falls back to sleep. I kept running to my baby right away even if she was just talking and not crying. I figured out if she had just eaten 1-2 hours ago if I let her fuss for a minute she would fall back asleep. She did this twice in one night and fell back to sleep.

<blockquote><b>Quoting mom2andrew&carter:</b>" my 4 and a half month old barely sleeps anymore. at night hes up every hour to two hours and during the ... [snip!] ... have been having constant anxiety attacks lately because of not sleeping and his constant crying i really could use some help."</blockquote>

We're you told to give him pain meds with the infection?

Letting him suck to sleep (boob is best, but paci is a decent alternative) can relieve the pressure and make it more comfortable.

Put breast milk in baby's ears--it will heal it faster.

Cosleep. Baby may need to be comforted an that way you can BOTH sleep!

Quoting Jays*Mama:" Make sure he has a full tummy when he goes to bed. When he wakes at night don't run to him right away. ... [snip!] ... hours ago if I let her fuss for a minute she would fall back asleep. She did this twice in one night and fell back to sleep."

hes already on baby cereal doctors reccomendation and i feed him like an hour before he goes to sleep plus eats a whole 4 ounce bottle right before he goes to bed. i have tried just letting him fuss a little but than he starts screaming. everytime he wakes up he eats about 3 ounces

Quoting P Pickle Pants:" <blockquote><b>Quoting mom2andrew&carter:</b>" my 4 and a half month old barely sleeps ... [snip!] ... Put breast milk in baby's ears--it will heal it faster. Cosleep. Baby may need to be comforted an that way you can BOTH sleep!"

hes on amoxicillion for it and i wasnt able to breastfeed so that doesnt help me and he wont take a pacifier at all never has. He also wont sleep me i have tried many times but refuses

<blockquote><b>Quoting mom2andrew&carter:</b>" hes on amoxicillion for it and i wasnt able to breastfeed so that doesnt help me and he wont take a pacifier at all never has. He also wont sleep me i have tried many times but refuses"</blockquote>




Amoxicillin is an antibiotic. It does nothing for pain. Give him a dose of Tylenol and see if it helps.

Quoting P Pickle Pants:" <blockquote><b>Quoting mom2andrew&carter:</b>" hes on amoxicillion for it and i wasnt ... [snip!] ... Amoxicillin is an antibiotic. It does nothing for pain. Give him a dose of Tylenol and see if it helps."

I have and it doesnt help him sleep at all

Antibiotics can make them feel terrible, they are very harsh on little bodies. Can you get some infant probiotics? biocare do them for babies.

Can you get someone to hold him for an hour so you can have a nap? A couple of naps can really help.

It's normal to wake 1-2 hourly at this age too, even babies that are feeling well. My son nursed hourly till 5.5 months. Milestones like rolling over and sitting up can cause them to wake a lot, i found month 4 to be awful, it passes though and you survive. I'm a single mama too and i was hallucinating etc, i know it's really rough. Developmental spurts are common at this age, and growth spurts around 6 months, and then developmental and cognitive spurts and teething cause waking from then onwards. It's natures sick joke really ha  

It was around 4 months my baby's rhythm started to emerge. He needed 3 naps during the day and then slept 10-12 hours at night (inc nursing hourly). I napped with him in the day if i could, or laid down beside him to rest. We cosleep so that is a huge help in allowing us to both sleep better and me to nurse and resettle him much quicker.

Realistic expectations help a ton. Read on natural child project.org and James McKenna sleep institute for info. Try to eat well and rest when you can. Meeting up with other moms and getting out for a walk/fresh air can help you feel less trapped by it all and break the day up. It does pass and your body adjusts aswel. Around 10 months my son was going longer between feeds and i was regularly getting 2 hour chunks of sleep during the night and he'd nurse back to sleep in just a few minutes so it wasn't much disturbance.

A regular nap routine really helps. Watch your baby carefully to see when they start to get tired. Usually the first nap is more of a continuation of night sleep, so it'll be 1-2 hours after they wake up. Then they'll have another nap or 2 before bedtime.

All babies are different and some are more sensitive to *everything* than others.

Quoting mom2andrew&carter:" I have and it doesnt help him sleep at all"

Could he be on a growth spurt on top of everything he's going through? My LO would sleep poorly for two or three days if he was going through one.

Quoting mom2andrew&carter:" hes already on baby cereal doctors reccomendation and i feed him like an hour before he goes to sleep ... [snip!] ... to bed. i have tried just letting him fuss a little but than he starts screaming. everytime he wakes up he eats about 3 ounces"

The cereal could be hurting his tummy. If he has reflux meds might be better than cereal, which is not very healthy and especially not for a young baby.
He could be having a growth spurt. Babies will also suck a lot when they're in pain, either from his ear or teething or his tummy.

Can you wear him in a wrap to soothe him? the motion might help.

<blockquote><b>Quoting mom2andrew&carter:</b>" hes on amoxicillion for it and i wasnt able to breastfeed so that doesnt help me and he wont take a pacifier at all never has. He also wont sleep me i have tried many times but refuses"</blockquote>




He's probably still on pain from his ears. The infection won't be gone until he finishes all his antibiotics (they don't relieve pain either, did your dr say it was okay to give him Tylenol?) this would explain why he has been like this for two weeks, before his ear infection was diagnosed. I would let him sleep with you, for the comfort and so you can get some test until he is better

it most likely the ears i have been going threw this for months we are finally getting her ear tubes wednesday and i can not wait.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Mama*AtoZ:</b>" Antibiotics can make them feel terrible, they are very harsh on little bodies. Can you get some infant ... [snip!] ... have another nap or 2 before bedtime. All babies are different and some are more sensitive to *everything* than others."</blockquote>


I agree and Love this advice!!!!

I didnt know the antibiotics could make them feel terrible. I feel so bad for him i just dont know what to do for him anymore hes starting to sleep a little better during the day but not at night. I tried letting him sleep with me and he wont do it at all and hes way to heavy for a moby wrap and he doesnt like them anyway. He has always been a high needs baby but he was sleeping through the night until a little over 2 weeks ago